The working age health crisis in the UK and its impact on GP negligence
According to the BBC, we are in the middle of a working age health crisis, with an epidemic of illness among the working-age population.
Statisticians have warned about the increase in the number of people being unable to work due to ill-health, sparking calls for what has been termed a crackdown on the “sick note” culture.
Overall, it is estimated that nearly a fifth of the UK’s working-age population now has a ‘work-limiting condition’. The number of people not working due to long-term sickness in the UK has been rising since 2019, with experts suggesting that things are so bad that it is threatening the performance of our economy.
Several health conditions have been identified as playing a significant role in this crisis:
- Chronic pain,
- type 2 diabetes and
- mental health problems.
Our aging population is also a factor. There is now a greater proportion of the working age population in their 50s and 60s, and this is exacerbating the problem.
But it isn’t just the economy that is suffering. The working age health crisis is also putting the NHS under strain, and in particular the nation’s GPs.
One effect of the additional pressure that GPs find themselves under is the risk of medical mistakes being made, leading to claims for medical negligence compensation being made.
One of the main causes GP negligence are delays by doctors in making a diagnosis, or referring a patient on for specialist treatment or investigatory tests. You can read this article on GP negligence that goes into greater detail about this issue.
The busier a doctor is, the less time they will have to consider their patient’s overall health situation, and the more likely it is that a mistake will be made. While it remains to be seen what the full impact of the working age health crisis will have upon GP services in the UK, it is logical to assume that unless the issue is tackled the number of claims is likely to rise.